


Reclaimed Toys

by HiGuy258



Series: Dream SMP Toys AU [3]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Adopted Toby Smith | Tubbo, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood, Blood and Injury, Canon-Typical Violence, Dehumanization, Dismemberment, Emotional Manipulation, Exiled TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Fake Character Death, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Manipulation, Mentioned Alexis | Quackity, Mentioned Ghost Wilbur Soot, Mentioned Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Mentioned Wilbur Soot, Mentioned Zak Ahmed, Not Canon Compliant, Parent Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Physical Manipulation, Piglin Hybrid Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Protective Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Toby Smith | Tubbo and Wilbur Soot and Technoblade and TommyInnit are Siblings, Toby Smith | Tubbo-centric, TommyInnit Needs a Break (Video Blogging RPF), TommyInnit Needs a Hug (Video Blogging RPF), TommyInnit-centric (Video Blogging RPF), Trauma, Twins Wilbur Soot & Technoblade, Video Game Mechanics, Villain Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), Wilbur Soot and Technoblade and TommyInnit are Siblings, its hand, its the finale stream guys literally everyone is mentioned, partially beta read we un-die like tommy and tubbo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-12 12:20:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29509599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HiGuy258/pseuds/HiGuy258
Summary: TommyInnit and Tubbo are both ripped from their old lives and thrust into brand new ones, ones where they must rely on each other to survive, both physically and mentally.
Relationships: Clay | Dream & n o b o d y, No Romantic Relationship(s), Ranboo & Technoblade & Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Ranboo & Toby Smith | Tubbo & Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit & Phil Watson, Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit, Zak Ahmed & Darryl Noveschosch
Series: Dream SMP Toys AU [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2154219
Comments: 10
Kudos: 73





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You'll want to read Broken Toys first before this, everything there is canon here until a few days into exile, then the divergence is described.  
> Edit: I heavily edited this chapter today (2/18) after realizing last night how inconsistently it was written.

One year.

Tommy and Tubbo’s temporary lives as Dream’s personal toys had started one year ago.

Four months they had been under the influence of their owner’s glowing sticks and socks crafted into their likenesses. Tubbo visited Logsteadshire a few days into Tommy’s exile, under Dream’s permittance, and when the best friends least expected it, he knocked them both out with potions and linked enchanted sticks to them while they were unconscious. Their captor transported the boys to a location that not a soul knew about, other than Dream himself, where they were made to endure around three weeks of psychological torture and trauma, forced to be items for Dream to practice his skills with the twin wooden controllers.

Logsteadshire was completely empty the next time Ghostbur traveled there next, and it would stay that way forever more. Abandoned, the quaint log-themed architecture had been left to rot under the elements. 

Tommy and Tubbo never heard a single thing about any other person for three weeks, and in turn, nobody in the mainland had heard anything about _them_ for three weeks. They both knew that the other would’ve gone insane and lost themselves to the intrusive thoughts and feelings brought upon by the enchantments themselves, but only if either of them wasn’t with the other.

The teens survived. Because they had _each other._

When those first three gruelling weeks were finally over, they were finally allowed returned to the SMP, and finally were given the opportunity to see other people again. 

However, it wasn’t how they wanted to revisit their old friends and family. Dream reintroduced them to everybody as all new members of the SMP, nameless, mindless things that he found injured and paralyzed one day, unable to use their bodies for themselves. He had been so gracious as to return the two young adults’ abilities to move to them, he had been doing them a _favor._

It was a lie. Tommy and Tubbo were fine. The atrocities that Dream was forcing them to commit were the furthest thing possible from a favor.

They were only ever allowed to wear one set of clothing. Tommy had a yellow hoodie with blue jeans, and Tubbo had a purple hoodie with beige jeans, where neither boy’s hair would show under the cloth. The colors had to be inconspicuous, or else people would start to think. What was _not_ inconspicuous was the white porcelain mask they both wore over their faces, complete with unique painted expressions. Both masks displayed a frowning mouth, while Tommy’s mask had angry eyebrows, and Tubbo’s mask had gray tear lines under both black dots.

Dream used the two friends and brothers as his own agents of chaos, his own warriors, proteges, guardians. Whenever Dream wanted something done or someone taken care of, he would bring one or both of them along with him and do the deed so he wouldn’t have to get his own hands dirty. Sometimes Dream would splash invisibility potions on himself to lay undetected while controlling them, then when questioned about it after the fact, he would act like he had no idea what his proteges were getting up to, give them a simple scolding to put an end to their rebellious behavior.

Dream never scolded them. He would only ever praise them for a job well done. A job done for _him._

Whenever they weren’t out in the field, Tommy and Tubbo were kept locked up in a secret room in a bunker nobody else knew about, the place Dream called his base, the place Tommy and Tubbo called their home. They still had each other, of course, but over time, they were beginning to lose each other. The mental degradation started slowly, much too slowly for them to truly notice it until it was too late. When one of the two prisoners tried to get up to walk around the room or chat with each other to exercise what little freedom they still held, they noticed the simple actions were becoming difficult.

The more Dream would control them, the more their bodies became accustomed to simply not moving at all, letting someone else move it for them. It began with their fingers and toes feeling stiff with something akin to arthritis, then slowly crept up their arms and legs over time. Words started to slur as well, losing control over lips and tongues, until the two pitiful teenagers had to repeat themselves almost constantly until the other understood what they were trying to say. After many months, they had no clue how long it had been since they returned to the SMP, the two boys found it easier to simply give up, stop trying to do anything, stop trying to communicate with each other at all, give themselves the futile hope that they would eventually learn telepathy instead.

They were both absolutely petrified of the day that would inevitably come where the vital organs in their chests would shut down permanently, much like the rest of them had. That would be the point where their transformation into Dream’s perfect playthings would be complete, they would never be themselves again. The two ~~boys~~ toys began to internalize that feeling, and eventually stopped calling themselves by their own names in favor of what Dream named them.

Tommy and Tubbo had all but lost their bodies even when they _weren’t_ under Dream’s control. In turn, that meant Dream was starting to get cocky. He knew that under the guise of his toys becoming less and less of themselves with each passing day, it would be easier and easier to hold them under his purple, glowing grip.

It all came to a head when one day, an invisible Dream was controlling Tommy and Tubbo to assist Skeppy and Bad in a disagreement between themselves and Technoblade, Philza, and Ranboo. Alliances didn’t matter to the green man, he would always side with whoever he felt like on any given day. The simple disagreement had quickly turned violent with Dream pulling the strings. Arrows were flying and swords were clashing until one stray arrow lodged itself into Dream’s right wrist, severing nerves and muscles that forced him to drop Tommy’s sticks and disable the sock, enabling him to speak.

Wholly unable to control Tommy with his injured hand, and with Tubbo holding a sword in a weakening grip against Technoblade, Dream was struggling to think of a plan quickly enough to save himself, let alone his toys.

In the time that Dream took struggling to get himself, Tommy, and Tubbo to safety, Tommy was slowly but surely mustering up the strength in his vocal cords until he could yell one fateful “ _Dad!_ ” with a wavering voice which crackled dangerously. It had apparently worked, because Phil immediately whipped his head around from the clash of his sword against Bad’s crossbow to look at the crumpled form of the boy he didn’t know was his son, Tommy.

That’s the moment where Dream’s plan unravelled. The moment Phil ripped off his son’s mask to reveal the face he hadn’t seen in just over _four months,_ he instantly called off the fight to subdue Dream, who was still wounded and now struggling with a very visible arrow impaled in his wrist. He moved Tubbo to protect him, but the lone teenaged fighter was no match for the five older men, who quickly disarmed the brunette boy, removing his mask in turn to confirm the identity that Phil suspected he had, and confiscated Dream’s socks and the one remaining bundle of sticks right out of his hands.

Unfortunately, Dream got away, losing the five men with the invisibility potion which was still in effect. Phil didn’t care, he had his sons back, even if he could barely believe that they were still alive to begin with.

God, his two youngest sons’ funeral was months ago, shortly after Dream returned with his proteges. They held ceremonies for both boys at the same time, as it was symbolic for their inseparable nature. Phil had watched as the empty twin coffins were lowered into the ground, right next to each other, at the same time-

They were there! With _Dream!_ For fuck’s sake, Tommy and Tubbo had _attended_ their own _funeral!_

Phil, Techno, and Ranboo took both slack, unmoving boys to Tommy’s dirt home and laid them in beds adjacent to one another in his back room, and the house was where they remained for the next five months of long and arduous physical therapy and rehabilitation. They had to be fed slush through tubes connected to their mouths for the first week or so, muscles too inactive to eat properly for themselves, and with Phil being desperate to avoid having to use the sticks on them in any way. They were still spoon-fed entire meals for a month after that.

The next four months were spent re-learning how to talk, how to use hand-eye coordination, how to utilize fine motor functions, and most importantly, how to think of themselves as their own people instead of Dream’s toys.

By the fifth month, they were able to truly live on their own without the constant need for outside assistance, however a portion of both their words still slurred lightly and their steps were shaky and unsure, but they were still walking and talking. On their own.

And they called themselves Tommy and Tubbo.

The next three months were spent getting back to normal. Soon enough, their steps became stable and words clear, and Tommy was attacking training dummies on his feet in the front yard while Tubbo was tinkering away at redstone contraptions in his workshop.

They felt truly back to normal for all of a week when they got it. A chest with a small piece of paper wedged in the closed lid.

 _To my toys,_  
_come alone_  
:)

The inside of the chest was empty, save for a single glowing compass with the name _Your Owner_ etched onto the outside of the metal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> honestly, dream is a lot less cunning in this one
> 
> If you recall, at the end of chapter 3 I said I was going to make a 2 or 3-shot based on the finale stream, so here it is! The first chapter. I was going to put the actual confrontation on the mountain in here with a scene break at the end, but i was like 'nah...'
> 
> This au of my au follows one of the original ideas I had, where Tubbo visits Tommy during the normal one-month visit, but instead of allowing Tubbo to run away, Tommy just knocks him out then and there and Dream gives him the business. I tweaked it slightly so they are both given the business at the same time.
> 
> Don't forget to post comments and give kudos! This side-fic is a lot more canon than the broken butts one lmao. Next chapter is the confrontation itself, and the chapter after that is a surprise! :)


	2. The Confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy and Tubbo must put their trauma aside for the time being if they want to defeat Dream forever.  
> If they win, they will finally be able to experience true freedom. If they lose, the same will happen to their lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I changed the compass in the last chapter to say _Your Owner_ instead of my discs, because its really not about the discs anymore in this AU. You can think of my discs as like an alternate name if you want
> 
> Edit: Oh and, yes, the first line is a Dr. Seuss reference. You know I love my childhood iconography in this AU!

“So, the toys have finally come to play. Thing 1 and Thing 2, I presume?” Dream smirks under his painted face, but they can’t see it.

The two “toys” in question are, of course, Tommy and Tubbo, who now find themselves staring down Dream, their owner of those long four months. They agreed to follow the compass, not only to get Tommy’s discs back, but also to put a stop to Dream’s tyranny once and for all. They only told a few very trusted people where they were going, chief among them was Philza and Technoblade, who had promised not to follow them. The note insisted that the boys come alone, after all.

But, were they boys anymore? The trauma the two had gone through was immense, and it could make a man out of any child, and with it being a year since the exile, Tommy was now 17 and Tubbo was 18, finally a legal adult. Tommy would soon join his best friend with that title, as well. They hardly resembled the children they once were, clad in full netherite from head to toe, faces solidified in enraged scowls, erasing any sense of childhood whimsy.

Their armor and weapons had been gifted by anyone who was willing to lend a hand, particularly Phil and Techno, and even a few combat supplies came from L’Manburg, the things they could spare from their own stockpiles. Tommy’s weapon of choice was the netherite sword enchanted with Fire Aspect and Sweeping Edge, and Tubbo’s weapon was the maxed-out Punch and Infinity bow. They both also held Quick Charge crossbows on their belts. The twin sets of armor were practically identical, but Tommy had Feather Falling boots and a standard shield, while Tubbo had Soul Speed boots and a small round shield specially designed to be used with a bow.

They had both left early in the morning to confront their sadistic captor face-to-face as to not alert anyone in town of their departure, and here they now stand, atop a positively monolithic mountain which was commonplace in the shattered savannah biome. Dream’s comment would have sent Tommy into a fit of boiling rage had he not already been in one from the mere sight of the masked man who somehow thought it was acceptable to call other people his possessions. 

“Dream, we haven’t got a single _fucking_ thing to say to you!” Tommy shouted for the both of them. Tubbo was generally still too scared of Dream to speak up when he didn’t have to.

Dream looks like he’s _relishing_ in the sound of his voice. “Ah, it’s been quite some time since I’ve heard that voice, you know,” he mused longingly.

Tommy instead whispers instructions to Tubbo through the side of his mouth. “Don’t let him talk. Put the ender chest down, we’re gonna surround him.”

He splashes a few potions on the both of them, basic stuff like strength, swiftness, and fire resistance, then they both bite a gapple once each and discard the rest. Dream seems entirely unfazed by the slow advances the two brothers make towards him, and it isn’t long before Tommy’s sword is out and pointed towards his opponent’s axe, and Tubbo’s bow is knocked with a weakness-tipped arrow.

Tommy and Tubbo against Dream, the discs, the ender chest... it’s all very reminiscent of the very first disc war they had, going on two years ago.

The stakes are much different now, because now, if they fail, they will assuredly either be forced right back into eternal servitude or permanently killed.

Both young adults prefer the latter. Their lives would be over either way.

They won’t fail. They _can’t_ fail. It’s just not an option.

Tommy, being the louder of the two, had previously declared that he would alert Tubbo to initiate the fight, but he’s waiting for Dream to start giving one of his fucking monologues. He knows Dream, he’ll never pass up the opportunity to gloat over his enemies, even in something as simple as a verbal argument.

Dream turns his head back and forth, staring down the now men who were wordlessly challenging him. “So it’s the silent treatment, then? It’s fitting, seeing as you boys had to go silent for... how long was it? Three months? Four? I guess I just expected you to be quicker to anger, judging by how I-”

Tommy has had quite enough of the green man’s poisonous words. “ _NOW!_ ” he shouts, louder this time, as he and Tubbo instantly spring into action. Tommy runs at Dream, sword raised, and Tubbo fires the arrow from his bow.

Just as Dream expected them to.

At the last possible moment, he casually steps to the side, taking a flint and steel out of his inventory in one hand and a stick of dynamite in the other. Tommy and Tubbo both gasp at Dream’s sidestep, with Tubbo yelling a “ _Tommy!_ ” to get him to move out of the way. Tommy raises his shield quickly to take the arrow, feet skidding back a bit over the grass with the Punch enchantment from his friend’s weapon.

By the time Tommy gets his bearings back, Dream turns around to face Tubbo, tossing the explosive behind his back at the blonde. As Tommy sees the red stick with its sparking fuse fly through the air towards him, he goes pale. His troubled past flashes before his eyes: dynamite, explosions, L’Manburg’s revolution, TNT, Pogtopia, Manburg’s detonation, _Wilbur-_

Tommy is frozen with fear, whole body threatening to go limp completely on an instinct which had previously rooted itself deep in his psyche.

“ _TOMMY!_ ”

Tubbo’s scream snaps him out of his trance. Tommy looks at him with an expression that remains horrified, to see that he’s holding his own against Dream, but he is losing. Dream has his netherite axe out of its holster now, bearing down on Tubbo, who quickly blocks and deflects the blow harmlessly with his roundshield. In close quarters, Tubbo now is holding his own netherite sword, but it isn’t nearly as enchanted as Tommy’s, and Dream’s axe would surely overpower it every time.

“ _Tommy, get up!!_ ” Is he on the ground? He is, when did that happen? Must’ve stumbled at some point. He quickly pushes up and hops to his feet, swiftly pulling a water bucket from his inventory and dousing the dynamite. Tommy is well aware that neither he nor Tubbo want to hear the sound of yet another explosion for as long as they live.

Tommy grabs his crossbow, already loaded with a harming tipped arrow, and fires it at Dream as quick as he can. Their adversary looks like he has little to no time to react before the sharp arrow flies right between the space between his chestplate and leggings, piercing skin harshly and making him stumble backwards, letting out a cry in agony.

The falter allows Tubbo to collect himself as Tommy runs to his side with an outstretched hand to help him up off the ground that he was dangerously close to falling over onto. “Tubbo! You okay, big man?” Tommy asks, panting.

“Yeah, I’m- I’m fine, thanks.” replies Tubbo, who is also catching his breath. He doesn’t sound very fine. They both look over at Dream, who is now holding a gold apple which glows with a shade identical to enchanted items, like their swords, like their armor sets.

Like their sticks.

Dream takes one bite of the apple, causing the glow to fade and seemingly transfer the color into its biter. He takes a deep breath and stands tall, multiple particles of vaguely different colors escaping from his person. Both fighters notice the bloody arrow fall onto the ground, completely intact. The potent protective magic of the aptly named god apple allowed Dream’s very skin to physically _push_ the arrow out of it.

“Nice shot. Now the fun can begin.” Dream says plainly. Tommy and Tubbo can’t find it in themselves to respond, quickly realizing just how utterly _fucked_ they are. _Why_ did they have to actually confront him? They knew Dream would always be at least two steps ahead of them and three times as prepared, why did they think this would _ever_ be a good idea?!

Dream _always_ wins.

The mask takes one look at their newly terrified expressions and belts out a deep laugh. “I know exactly what you were thinking. _‘We’re free from our owner’s clutches, now we don’t belong to him, we aren’t his toys anymore! Yippee!’_ Then, you got so _confident_ that you, my very own toys, actually thought you could beat me! How _cute._ ” He coos on his final statement.

Tommy and Tubbo’s faces drain simultaneously at the noxious words. Yeah, that pretty much was their exact train of thought. Obviously, they were wrong, and now they would pay the ultimate price.

Dream continues with a sly tone filling his voice. “Besides, do you really think you’ve rid yourselves of my influence? I saw you boys try to do... _anything,_ really. You were unable to do anything without my help. Here, let me prove it to you.”

 _Oh no._ Tommy’s fairly certain he knows exactly what’s about to happen, and he doesn’t know if he’ll be able to resist the dormant impulses created and solidified over those four painful months.

Sure enough, Dream slowly puts away his sword and shield in anticipation, then with the expert dexterity of a practiced veteran, nimbly whips out two sets of enchanted cross-sticks and instantly holds them up, level with the ground like he had thousands of times before. Tommy can’t do anything _but_ watch it happen, forced to steel every muscle he has in order to not flop onto the dirt like little more than a pile of limbs. His body wobbles slightly, threatening to tip over like a log, yet he keeps true, eyes glaring harshly at his past owner.

_Thud._

Tubbo isn’t so lucky.

The moment he sees Dream pull out the fake sticks, exact replicas of the real deal, Tubbo’s whole being is completely overcome with the grief of months of trauma. He tries to keep himself up, but can’t, helpless to stop his limbs from going numb and face relaxing, as his eyelids flutter closed as he can only hear the sound of his body crumpling onto the dirt pathetically.

Hearing the sound of his best friend’s body on dirt instantly drags Tommy back to reality, eyes widening in shock and horror at Tubbo’s disabled form. He lets his body also limp, only partially, so he can fall to his knees and comfort the only other person in existence who truly knows what he’s going through. Tommy starts vigorously shaking Tubbo’s shoulders, like he’s asleep and refuses to wake up. “ _No, Tubbo!_ He isn’t controlling you, Tubbo, the sticks are _not_ real, he tricked you! _You_ have the control, _not_ him! _Please,_ you have to _get up!_ They aren’t real, you have control. You have control, Tubbo. _You have to snap_ **_out_ ** _of it!_ **_Please!_ **” Tommy shouts in a flurry of sounds, hoping beyond hope that one of the sounds gets through to him.

Tubbo responds, but his voice is terribly weak. “Nuh, T’mmeh... ah _c’nt..._ ” Tommy is relieved to hear him able to respond, but it isn’t nearly comprehensible enough.

He’s really getting worried now. He knows from personal experience that it’ll be progressively more difficult to bring Tubbo out of this state the longer he stays in it. “Yes, Tubbo, yes you _can!_ Your voice is slurring again, you have to speak _clearly!_ You have to-”

He can’t take it, there’s no time! Not when _Dream,_ the man who _did_ this to them, is right there trying to fucking... _reclaim_ them! Tommy goes with the nuclear option, digging around his inventory and pulling out a firework rocket, holding it right in Tubbo’s face. The fuse is unlit, but even if it were to be released, it won’t explode, being crafted without any sort of firework star. Naturally, it doesn’t matter, Tubbo’s most fear-inducing experience would always jolt back to life at the sight of any variant of the red-and-white striped pyrotechnic.

Tommy holds it directly in front of Tubbo’s eyes, close enough so that it fills his vision regardless of which direction he would try to look. “Tubbo, I _need_ you to look at me, buddy. Look at the firework. _Think,_ Tubbo! Think about the festival. Think about the _pain_ you felt when you died. Think about Technoblade pointing that crossbow at you, think about how terrified you were! That pain, those emotions, that fear, that’s how you know you’re _alive,_ Tubbo. And you _are_ alive, you are in control, and you have to come _back_ to me! _Please!_ ”

Tubbo feels like his thoughts are being filtered through molasses, getting thicker and thicker by the second. He slowly but surely processes the firework rocket in front of him, the words Tommy’s saying, and his brain starts to speed up again. He’s thinking about fireworks, the colors, the explosions, the pain, the festival, the execution, his _death-_

His eyes widen and he gasps, drawing in breath he didn’t know he needed, slowly scrambling away from the weapon of destruction being held in front of him. Tubbo clambers to his feet, feeling alert once again, if not re-traumatized by the events of his second death.

On the other hand, being reminded of his second death had probably prevented his _third_ from happening in that moment.

Tommy lets out the tension in his shoulders, quickly slipping the rocket back in his inventory, and rushes to hold Tubbo in embrace. “Oh Tubbo, thank fuck you’re back. You had me worried there for a minute, big man.” After a few more seconds, he pushes the hug away a bit. “You okay?”

Tubbo nods tentatively, muttering a “Yeah, yeah I- I think so. Thanks. For uh, for doing that.”

He feels himself being pulled back into Tommy’s arms. “Anytime, Tubs. Anytime.”

Dream is clapping.

His voice is filled with a false sense of pride. “Well color me impressed, you boys can really put on a show! I would’ve _paid_ to see that, you know.”

Tommy looks on incredulously before being filled with a rage that feels like it heats up his very blood. “Dream, you _massive prick, go_ **_fuck_ ** _yourself!_ We aren’t your fucking _toys_ anymore, _we don’t_ **_submit_ ** _to you!_ ”

Tubbo, for the first time since coming to the mountain, is also enraged enough to overcome his own fear and join Tommy in verbally bashing Dream. “Tommy’s right, we don’t fucking belong to you anymore, go to hell!”

The mask just scoffs. “Well, do you submit to this?” he asks calmly, pulling out a crossbow loaded with his own firework. “Two shots from this will blow through your netherite, then the third will kill you. Let’s just say it’ll be worse than your little festival.”

They both gasp in surprise, their twin rants dropping dead on the floor. “What, do you _want_ from us.” Tommy seethes through gritted teeth.

Dream grins madly behind his mask, voice filled with glee.

“ _You._ ”

—o—

Tubbo nervously pipes up this time. “D-Dream, where uh, where are we?”

The masked man in question chuckles from behind it. “Well, you remember Technoblade’s bunker with all his valuable items? Consider this _my_ bunker,” he gestures down the hall that extends down one of the four sides of the large room, “with _everyone’s_ valuable items. I can’t make them all my toys, I only have two hands! Welcome to the second best option.”

They hear the redstone mechanisms in the lift bring it back to the surface with no way to bring it back down. They’re trapped here.

Tommy and Tubbo were brought down to the expansive blackstone room after Dream forced them to hand over all their items at rocket-point, taking whatever he desired from the spoils and destroying the rest with a fateful stick of dynamite. They weren’t torn up about it, neither of them had anything sentimental (however, Tommy had planned to keep the non-explosive firework rocket as a memento), but it pained them still to see the supplies they were given mainly as gifts get blown to smithereens.

So there they were, defenseless and devoid of any possessions, save for the clothes on their backs. The explicit lack of owning things reminded Tommy and Tubbo harshly of their forced servitude.

Dream at least has the decency to allow them to take in their surroundings before capturing them once and for all. The giant room is void of all furnishings other than two unnecessarily large golden platforms that each hold nothing but a single pedestal in the middle of them, along with a set of chains and shackles. There was an oversized Nether portal between the platforms, along with two ender chests.

The left platform had a sign that read _Tommy,_ along with his Cat disc in a display case, and the right housed a sign with _Tubbo_ written on it, along with the Mellohi disc.

The people that belonged in those chains looked on in horror before Dream slapped a possessive hand on each of their shoulders, speaking with a sinister tone. “Make no mistake, I meant it when I said this place contains all my most prized _items._ ”

Tommy and Tubbo felt violent shivers send themselves up and down their spines.

Dream let them over with his hand to the offshoot room, with all the items he considered less valuable than the two friends and brothers.

And boy, were _a lot_ of items.

There seemed to be at least one item for every person on the server! Scanning the new room briefly, they saw Techno’s Axe of Peace, Friend the sheep, Beckerson _and_ Mars, Enderchest the cat, Phil’s _Techno’s Compass,_ Fran the dog, Squeeks the fox, Henry the cow, whom Tommy had presumed dead for over a year now, and Bumpkin the horse. There was even a tiny empty cage labeled _Skeppy,_ indicating that the man who shared a soul-bond with BadBoyHalo was just more of Dream’s stuff.

Tommy looks on in horrified wonder. “How in the hell did you find the time to steal all this stuff, Dream?”

Dream just laughs again. “Oh, Tommy, I didn’t steal any of this. _You_ did. _Both_ of you.”

Tubbo lets out a shocked gasp while Tommy's mouth limply gapes open. “You don’t mean-” Tubbo starts.

Cutting him off like he knows what his question is before he even finishes it, Dream confirms their collective suspicions, hand placed on each shoulder again. “Oh, I do. You kids were so obedient, sneaking into people's homes and claiming their items for me. It only took a bit of thought on my part, and you stole _all of this._ Just for me!”

The mask leans in dangerously close to their faces. “I couldn’t be more thankful, for both of you.”

He turns to Tommy, making him stiffen. “Thankful to you Tommy, for being so _useful._ ” He feels himself go a bit numb with elation at being called useful. It’s all he really ever wanted, for his efforts to be appreciated by those around him, for the people he cared for not treat him as nothing but a pointless child, to be _useful-_

Dream turns to Tubbo now, causing him to tense up everywhere. “And to you Tubbo, I showed you my thanks through my _love_ and _care._ ” Tubbo feels his heart melt at the words, along with the rest of his person. Abandoned by his biological parents, all he ever wanted was someone’s affection, someone to care about him, someone to look after him, to be cared about, to be _used-_

“I can give that to you. To _both_ of you.” he promises, voice laced with sinister sweetness and kindness.

Tommy and Tubbo don’t think that sounds so bad. They mull it over in their heads, considering the porcelain smile’s offer, inspecting it in their thoughts, until they both suddenly furrow their brows in disgust.

“ _No,_ I don’t need your worthless fucking _validation._ ” Tommy responds, slowly. “My family already appreciates me. _Technoblade_ gave that to me. He taught me how to fight as a kid, before he went all pig-in-a-crown-y. And in that fucking _prison,_ just me and Tubbo, he _thanked_ me! Every time I got out of bed to go check up on him, no matter how hard it was to walk or talk, it was _always_ harder for him! Tubbo appreciated me.”

Tubbo responds in turn. “My family already loves me, too. _Phil_ gave that to me. When I was left in a goddamn _box_ on the side of that cobblestone path, only he cared enough to welcome me into his life. Tommy’s right, I did thank him, every time he got up when I couldn’t. He still took the time to walk over to me. Tommy loved me.”

Dream tilts his head, pretending to be moved by their emotional speech. “You two are so adorable, you know that? The perfect pair, it’s like you were _made_ for each other. I couldn’t ask for a better matching set of toys.”

Tommy and Tubbo do their best to continue staring down their captor. Dream continues, “But, I am disappointed that you’re refusing to go quietly. It’s frustrating to have to do this, but you leave me no choice.”

Suddenly, Dream swiftly pulls out a number of leads, pounces on both teenagers, and ties both their hands together behind their backs. As they struggle to break free of the coarse rope around their wrists, he takes another two leads and secures each of them around their necks, tightening them harshly, only loosening each harness just enough to let them both breathe.

“There, that should keep you from getting any big ideas about trying to escape. We’re going to go through the Nether portal, you two lost the privilege of living in the Overworld when you escaped the first time.” Dream instructs, as he turns away to lead them to the aforementioned portal. Before he reaches the end of the lengths of rope attached to the binds around their throats, he turns his head back to look at them.

“ _Don’t_ make me drag you.” He tugs sharply at the ropes connected to them like herd animals, causing them to stumble forwards, both of whom resign to do what Dream says.

Taking a few steps, Tommy and Tubbo look at each other longingly, fear flashing in their eyes. Tommy speaks up, as usual. “Can’t w-we at least say goodbye?”

Oh, he shouldn’t have done that.

Dream stops instantly, dead in his tracks, whipping his body around to face them before pulling the ropes closer and closer, until Dream is directly gripping the knots on their rough collars. Tommy’s head is pressing against Tubbo’s, and vice versa, both terrified expressions only a mere few inches apart from the masked face.

And that face is _mad._ “ _NO!_ ” he screams in their ears before shoving them backwards, as they both stumble onto the hard floor of blackstone bricks. Dream rips two plain white cloths from his inventory and moves behind them, wringing each in a tight spiral. “ _Why_ do you have to make everything so fucking _difficult?!_ ” he seethes as he slots the cloth into Tommy’s mouth, past his lips and teeth, then tightly knots it behind his head. He moves on to Tubbo to gag him in the same way.

“No more distractions. You are coming with me through that portal, whether you like it or not, and you _will_ be mine once more. _Got it?_ ” Dream commands darkly. His terrified captives quickly nod their heads.

“Good. Let’s go.”

Dream pulls them by their necks over to the portal, gradually getting closer and closer to the boiling dimension, and what will surely be the end of their lives. Just before entering the swirling purple vortices, he turns around to get the attention of Tommy and Tubbo. “Go through the portal first, both of you.” They both mumble an agreement through their gags, beginning to walk to the glowing wall.

_Shing._

Before any of them can register the sound of a sword being unsheathed, Dream suddenly finds a floating netherite blade being levelled at his throat, already cutting into the skin slightly and drawing a few beads of blood.

“Drop it.” says a gruff, monotone voice.

Tommy and Tubbo’s eyes widen at the sound. They could recognize that voice anywhere, nobody has a voice quite as steady, nobody speaks with such a huff in their breath, almost a snort.

_Technoblade._

Tommy lets out a muffled shout through the cloth, hoping to get his attention for a moment. If he was successful, Techno didn’t show it. The pig’s invisible form only waits for Dream to drop the ropes, kicking the loose ends away from his feet and shoving him down the few steps up to the obsidian rectangle. He spins around onto his back as Techno aims the sword at his throat once more, planting a strong and very heavy foot square on Dream’s chest. He grabs a small wad of green wool and tosses it behind him, over his shoulder, letting it fly through the portal with a small _whoosh._

Not even a second later, Phil leaps through the purple spirals, wearing full netherite and sword out, ready to kill someone. His vision instantly locks onto his sons and he almost drops his sword in shock, face shifting to horror in an instant and letting out a strangled gasp. “ _Boys!_ ” he cries, rushing over to their side faster than what seems humanly possible. Said boys both muffle in surprise, looking like they might fall to tears at any moment.

As Phil dashes over to his children’s side, and as they do the same with dragging rope behind them, Techno’s invisible form reveals itself holding an empty milk bucket and tossing it aside with a clank.

More people start to step through the portal. First Ranboo steps carefully onto the blackstone, then Punz, then Niki, Fundy, Sam, Quackity, Jack Manifold, BadBoyHalo, Sapnap, Eret, Antfrost, Puffy- hell, even _Connor_ steps though the portal eventually. Every single person that Tommy and Tubbo have ever gotten to know in the SMP is there for them, the only people missing are Ghostbur and George.

“You should’ve been more prepared, Dream.” Techno huffs at the pinned man.

Phil rips off Tommy and Tubbo’s gags, saws through the ropes on their wrists with a small knife and loosens the ones on their necks, tossing it all aside. They both hug Phil for an extended length of time, muttering thanks and apologies and _I love you_ ’s.

Techno wants to watch his brothers’ embrace their father, but he has to keep Dream under control, so his death stare at the white mask never falters. “Drop all your weapons, then your armor.” he commands, tone never shifting.

Dream complies. He’d rather not die today, but he is furious. Tommy and Tubbo hear the clanging of items on the ground, looking up and pushing away from Phil to walk closer. “Hold on Dad, there’s someone we have to go  _ talk _ to.” Tommy spits the end of the sentence, emotions reflecting both himself and his best friend. “Isn’t that right, Tubbo?”

“Yeah, let’s go.” Tubbo says, building up as much anger in his heart as he can muster. It isn’t nearly as much as Tommy’s rage, even on a slow day, but it’s probably more than the brunette’s ever had himself.

Both men stride over to their defeated green captor, fists balled tightly and knuckles white. There would be hell to pay. Since he’s now itemless, Techno stepped off of his chest and sheathed his sword, knowing he wouldn’t dare try to fight anyone with upwards of 25 people in the oversized room, ready to kill him at any moment.

“ ** _Dream!_ **” Tommy shouts from the top of his lungs. The masked man turns at the sound, only to be met with a firm punch in the porcelain smile, cracking the mask dangerously and sending him to the floor, startled.

Tommy revels in the man’s defeat. “What was it you said to us, the day you enchanted those fucking _sticks_ onto us?” he asks rhetorically. “Oh, that’s right! _You don’t_ **_own_ ** _anything anymore._ ”

With that, the blonde young adult violently rips Dream's mask off his face, not giving two shits about unstrapping it from his head or his face hurting from the mask being removed so incorrectly. Tommy takes one look at the unsettling smooth smile and slams the back of it onto the floor, cracking it a tiny bit more, before crushing it firmly under his boot.

Seeing the shattered mask on the floor, Dream’s dark green eyes widen in shock, then in fervent glee as he starts laughing. The plain laugh turns into a cackle as he tips his head back, which in turn becomes an insane screech that pierces the ears of everyone present. The sound strikes fear into the hearts of every member of the SMP, and even Technoblade reacts to it, slightly wary of the seemingly inhuman sound.

His head flies back down to look Tommy straight in the eyes, eyes wide and mouth in a giant toothy grin that seems to stretch from one end of his head to the other, and holy _shit_ his mask was almost preferable to his actual expression.

“Hello, my toys. It’s _so nice_ to finally meet face-to-face like this. _How do I look?_ ”

Tubbo is still gaping in terror at the recently unmasked man, but works up the will to speak again. “Like a _fucking psycho!_ ”

Dream, still sitting on the blackstone brick floor, darts his eyes towards Tubbo, who flinches back at the movement reflexively. “Thanks, I try.” He stands up and addresses the entire crowd, face calming down somewhat, but still housing a wide grin. “So! It seems you beat me. What are you going to do now? _Kill me?_ None of you have no idea how many lives I’m on, I’ll just get back all my weapons, all my armor, then,” his head swivels to look at Tommy and Tubbo, “I’ll get my _precious toys_ back. It could take a month or a year, but I’ll get my toys back. They can never escape, _none of you can._ ”

Sam pushes his way through the crowd, clearly preparing something to say. “I beg to differ, Dream. Ever since Phil and Techno saved Tommy and Tubbo, I’ve been hiring people to help me build a huge, inescapable prison, solely to put away people like _you._ You’ll be going there, and you will never be able to leave. The server will finally be safe.”

Dream’s face gets complicated when he hears about the prison. “That doesn’t mean anything. That- no, I’ll escape. I always do! I always come back!”

Tommy gets an idea.

He turns to the crowd. “Who picked up his axe?” Quackity comes forward, handing him the enchanted netherite axe. “Thanks, Big Q.” he says, Quackity returning a “Don’t sweat it.”

He turns back to Dream with fire burning bright in his eyes with determination. “I reckon it’s time we take something you _can’t_ get back. Put your belt in your mouth, you’ll want to bite down on something.”

Dream looks at him incredulously, not moving to take off his belt.

“ _I mean it._ ” he repeats darkly. This time, his tone gets Dream moving, who unclasps the leather from around his pants. “Get on the floor, _now._ Hold out your arm.”

Tubbo puts his hand on Tommy’s shoulder apprehensively. “Are you sure you want to do this, big man?”

Tommy looks at his best friend with a scrunched look of confusion. “Yes I fucking _am_ sure! Think about all the shit this this green prick _did_ to us, Tubbo! What he made _us_ do! _Four months_ of torture! Four months of feeling your body slowly fucking _rot_ from the inside out, eventually unable to move a _goddamn muscle!_ The _tubes,_ Tubbo! The fucking _feeding tubes!_ How long will it take us to recover next time? What if there _is_ no next time?! We have the opportunity, here and now, to prevent him from _ever_ being able to control us, to control anyone. _We **have** to do this._”

He holds that fiery conviction in his entire being, the feeling that only ever cooled when under Dream’s control for months. It’s the reason he never let up once in any conflict, battle, war, since arriving at the Dream SMP. That burning passion that could never be truly extinguished, Tubbo could never find it in himself to feel the same. He was always the level-headed one, the one who liked the silence and peacefulness that would never happen while Tommy was around.

It’s a good thing that opposites attract. Like the needle of a compass, always pointing to its destination, never wavering.

“And besides,” Tommy adds with a smirk, holding up the gleaming purple axe in both hands. “I wanna cut a bitch’s hand off today.”

After everything they’ve been through, Tubbo would trust Tommy with his life, probably more. He puts his hand back on his best friend’s shoulder, reassuring this time. “Tommy, if you think that this is the best way to secure our freedom, then I’m inclined to believe you.” He turns his head to give Dream a side-glaring look. “You ought to bite down on that belt, Dream. _I think he’s being serious._ ” he breathes, leaning down to mockingly whisper to the helpless green villain.

“ _Do your worst._ ” Dream hisses, as Tommy stomps down his right forearm, pinning it to the cold black floor. He would almost exclusively use his right hand to control Tommy, and Tubbo was with his left. It was symbolic.

“Oh, I fully intend to.” he answers as Dream stuffs the leather between his teeth. Tommy holds Dream’s own axe high above his head, positions it right above the wrist, then brings it down with all the force he could put in it.

Dream instantly lets out a muffled scream at the sensation of getting his fucking _hand_ cut clean off, but his eyes remain dry, not even shedding tears from the mere pain alone. There’s blood spilling everywhere onto the floor, pooling at his pinned stump of a wrist, coloring the black brick to a dark crimson red. His newly severed hand is laying less than an inch away from the rest of his arm, a pathetic reminder of the tools Dream would use for total control. He’s breathing in and out sharply now, in an effort to try and quell the intense pain flooding his mind.

Tubbo can’t watch as Tommy cuts the hand off, he thinks the sight might make him sick, so he closes his eyes tightly shut and turns away from the gruesome act. He feels a bit queasy just from _hearing_ the axe cut cleanly through muscle and bone. Tommy finally speaks up, done relishing in their shared victory. “That was refreshing.” He hands the bloody axe to Tubbo, who was now looking directly at him. “Your turn. I can do it, if you want, but I think you should do it. It feels really good to get it off your chest, like a weight being lifted off your shoulders.”

He takes the axe in his shaking hands, accepting Tommy’s offer. “Yeah, I’d- I want you to hold his a- _haa-_ ” he holds back bile in his throat as he accidentally glances at the detached limb, covering his mouth with his own hand, feeling squeamish. “... his arm.”

“Sure thing, Tubzo.” Tommy steps off the panting man’s useless arm, who promptly sticks the stump under his own knee in an effort to stop the thick arteries from pushing too much red out of his body. Everything would be for naught if he just perished from the simple blood loss.

Tubbo gets it over with very quickly, barely positioning the curved blade over his remaining wrist before bringing it down with less force than Tommy had. It doesn’t matter, skin and bone doesn’t need much force at all to be sliced through by netherite, and the axe sails through the joint just as easily as it had for Dream's right wrist.

He lets out a cry of pain again through muffles, but this time they peter out just as quickly as they started as Dream falls onto himself out of consciousness. He’d passed out from shock filling his system.

Tommy was right, that felt... cathartic. They’d done it, they defeated Dream _permanently!_ He won’t be able to control another soul for as long as he lives. It felt really good to know that for certain, the knowledge that they could finally be free to live their lives however they so chose was liberating, to say the least. Tubbo hadn’t basked in the victory at the time, but he was certain he would bask in the freedom they now possessed.

He tossed the extra bloody axe to the side, refusing to look at the second severed hand, he knew it would look similar to the first anyway. Tommy puts a comforting hand on Tubbo’s shoulder. “We did it, Tubbo. We beat Dream, once and for all. _We’re free._ ”

Both young adults embrace each other tightly, not caring about the bloody marks they leave on each other’s shirts. Multiple people from the crowd jump to action, dressing Dream’s wounds and attaching tourniquets to stop the profuse bleeding. The two brothers turn towards their father and older brother, but Tommy turns to address the crowd for the last time.

“I don’t give a shit what you do with the green motherfucker, send him to the prison all you want. Hell, you can feed him to the fucking wolves for all I care. I know Tubbo doesn’t care either. He’s not our problem anymore, but I would personally prefer it if he suffers.” He turns back and both brothers walk to greet their family.

Technoblade ruffles Tommy’s hair. “Good work, kid, you’re becoming a real Technoblade now. You just cut off a man’s hand and barely even flinched! I’m _proud_ of you, Tommy.”

Phil pulls Tubbo into a warm embrace. “You did what you had to do, Tubs. I promise you, I’ll be there for you whenever you need me to be. You were so brave today, and I couldn’t be more grateful. I _love_ you, Tubbo.”

The two best friends and closest brothers you could ever meet know they had made the right decision today. Their family would be all the appreciation and affection they would ever need and then some.

At that very moment, they both felt the holes in the bottom of their hearts fill up with those feelings they so deeply desired.

They were fixed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy one-month anniversary of the season 2 finale guys!  
> no, i am _not_ a day behind when i tried to finish this yesterday
> 
> [WE GOT MORE FANART!!](https://twitter.com/lilacadaisy/status/1362960080338059267) And it's by the _same_ person as well!  
> Technically, it's not actually for this fic, but honestly the drawing itself could be used for a pretty wide array of scenes! Plus, Broken Toys probably isn't going to update for 2-3 days, I've been taking a break on writing the past few days to catch up on homework and to write this chapter. I'll give a more proper shoutout on broken chapter 14! Also, use the same tag, #brokentoysfanart, if you want me to see fanart for any fic I have within this AU, and believe me when I say I do want to see any fanart you guys make.
> 
> Boy was this chapter longer than I expected, 6.4k goddamn words, slightly shorter than chapter 12 of broken. Turning a video stream into a fic is so much more difficult than it has any right to be, this thing took more than two full days to write at my normal pace. I know I said before that everything from broken toys is canon, but I do want to backtrack a tiny bit. Techno's voices aren't really evil like I wrote them out in broken toys, here they are much more like the usual Chat writing style, where they still egg on Techno all the time but also want him to protect everyone's favorite minors.
> 
> Personally, my favorite part about the finale lore-wise is that every road leads to it. If Tommy and Tubbo have the first disc war, as long as L'Manburg gets blown up in any capacity by Dream, and he becomes the villain in Tommy's story, the finale will always happen! For instance, New L'Manburg is still standing in this fic, and Techno came out of retirement to join Phil living there.
> 
> Thank you for the support on Broken Toys as well as this fic, I'm hoping this long chapter gets people's attention who aren't already following broken. I'll read every comment, as always!
> 
> So. Real talk. How many of you have watched Tommy's prison visit stream from the 21st? I think that would go _perfectly_ in this fic. I don't expect to write that into another chapter for some time, which is why I reduced the chapter max to ? instead of 3. I want people to be able to finish this chapter and say "yeah, im so glad they had their happy ending." and consider the next two chapters as something like DLC.  
> Yes, I did say two chapters. Make no mistake, this storyline isn't over. Literally as I'm writing this, I've come up with the idea to make the next parts of this story be branching paths, multiple different endings. I also found myself thinking about this story a lot more, what was originally intended to be a glorified oneshot, and I'm honestly afraid because I really just want to get back to broken toys.  
> So! Look forward to a bit more of this particular plot line in the future, and probably one or two scene oneshots (oneshots for real this time) of tommy and tubbo waking up the first time to the sticks' influence and some time when they're back in the dream smp, like the scene tommy mentioned here where it was really hard to get out of bed and talk to tubbo. and maybe a rehabilitation scene with the feeding tubes and- fuck there i go again thinking too much. i hate my brain sometimes
> 
> Oh and I'm sorry that the scene in Dream's bunker was literally just Tommy and Tubbo interacting with Dream, and the other 25 people there just vibe while it all goes down but like- i couldn't write more man i just wanted this chapter done and published. imagine that they like gasp in shock when tommy cuts the first hand off, niki looks away in disgust or whatever, sapnap refuses to acknowledge it, stuff like that. phil tries to run over to them and stop them from making choices they can't take back but techno pulls him back like 'don't. they're right, this is the only way to permanently stop dream from controlling anyone' and similar reassurances. So, the second half is a bit rushed, but it's okay. I still put out something I'm proud of.


End file.
